2000 Harlan Estate Proprietary Red
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Tasting notes
Magnum. 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, remainder: Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot. There is a delicious and ample presence here but it is more low-key and less chiselled than the 2001. The 2000 is elegant while almost meditative. It requires a little more attention on the part of the drinker. It was challenged in this vertical line-up by sitting between the impressive character of the 2001 and the assertiveness of the 1999. Between those two wines it could be easily overlooked but the 2000 is a lovely vintage with a good marriage of tannin and acid to flavour and very good length. Gunmetal and graphite are evident throughout. This would do nicely with a steak. No need of extra dressing. (ECB)
Critic scores
Average Score
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
The 2000 Harlan Estate is in a beautiful place today. Soft, open-knit and nicely mellowed by age, the 2000 is absolutely gorgeous, with soft contours to match is engaging personality. Mocha, black cherries, leather and spice are all quite forward in this succulent Harlan Estate. (AG)
I have never been totally convinced by the 2000 Harlan Estate, but now that it’s in bottle, it is a very fine offering. The problem is that it must be compared with the other Harlan Estate wines made to date. A Graves-like perfume of roasted coffee, scorched earth, black currants, cedar, and a hint of menthol emerge from this dense dark ruby/purple-colored 2000. Lighter than normal, but medium to full-bodied and elegant, with soft tannin as well as a silky, precocious personality and texture, it can be drunk now and over the next 12 years. Harlan Estate and its perfectionist owner, Bill Harlan, who is backed up by the peerless team of Michel Rolland and Bob Levy, is truly an estate of monumental aspirations that more often than not hits the proverbial bull’s eye. None of the wines produced since 1990 has yet reached full maturity. While the 2000 is their lightest vintage to date, it is no wimpy wine. As I have written so many times before, what makes Harlan such a singular tasting experience is that while it is a Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated offering from the hillsides above the Oakville Corridor, and it obviously has the power and extraordinary ripeness afforded by Napa Valley’s favorable viticultural climate, it has a degree of complexity that is only shared by a handful of other California Cabernet-based wines, and the finest Bordeaux. Harlan Estate represents exactly what a genius owner, who suffers no fools, and refuses to make any compromises, is capable of achieving ... is that a surprise? Tel. (707) 944-1441; Fax (707) 944-1444
Very deep garnet-black colour with a brick rim. The nose is more evolved than the 1999, moving away from warm dark berry fruits with pleasant aromas of exotic spices, tobacco, leather and scorched espresso. The palate is nonetheless finely structured with a medium to firm level of grainy tannins and medium+ acidity to give freshness to the medium to full body. Long, spicy finish. November 2008, www.erobertparker.com, Drinking window: 2009-2014.
About the producer
Harlan Estate is one of the Napa Valley’s most prestigious wine estates. It is one of a handful of cult Cabernet producers, whose wines are some of the most expensive and collectable in the region.